Celtics Linked With Shocking Target

The NBA offseason is slowly approaching, and soon the Boston Celtics will be at the forefront of things. 

The Celtics have a monumental offseason ahead, one that will undoubtedly shape the next handful of years to come. Boston is expected to be big sellers as they look to avoid severe luxury tax penalties. 

With that, the Celtics are expected to move some of their key players in order to make room in their salary books. The Celtics could and likely will trade some of their key players, but who could get back in return? Boston could go in a multitude of ways, but according to Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, he thinks the Celtics should target first-round picks. 

“It'll be impossible to get all seven future first-rounders in a single trade this offseason. But as the Celtics try to trim salary by trading away at least one of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porziņģis and Jaylen Brown, they should keep this aggregate total of draft capital in mind.

“White is on a bargain contract that'll pay him $126 million over the next four years and would fit on absolutely any team. Maybe he'd net the Celtics three future firsts on his own. If they fetched two more for Brown, who still has four years and $236.2 million remaining on his contract, they would be well on their way to that goal.

“The Celtics must trim at least $22 million to get out of the second apron and roughly $50 million to reset the clock on the repeater tax. If focusing on a cost-cutting rebuild feels like overkill, consider the alternative: Paying $500 million for a gap year while Jayson Tatum recovers from an Achilles tear, then trying to build a winner with a reduced version of him and an aging supporting cast (Holiday will be 37) in 2026-27.”

The Celtics are staring down a massive luxury tax hit that could approach $280 million — a result of their swollen payroll and repeater status after surpassing the salary cap in three of the last four years.

At this point, the more value they can recoup to prepare for the future, the better. Boston has already proven capable of retooling on the fly, building toward long-term success while staying firmly in the championship hunt.

Boston may need to do just that once again.

More Celtics news: Celtics Are Reportedly Willing to Trade Multiple Stars

Celtics Expected to Make 'Multiple' Moves This Offseason: Report

For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.